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Madame d'Aulnoy: The Mother of Fairy Tales?
Madame d'Aulnoy was one of the pioneers of fairy tales as a literary genre. She actually coined the term "fairy tales"—stories with fairies. Although highly amusing and imaginative, her works are almost forgotten today. Let's learn a word or two about her and the development of fairy tales.
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Hop O' My Thumb, or Seven League-Boots - Summary, Themes, Analysis, and Symbolism
Hop o' My Thumb is a less-known fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. It's a variation of Hansel and Gretel with elements of Jack and the Beanstalk. It addresses grim themes as child abandonment and cannibalism.
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"Pentamerone: The Tale of Tales" Explained
"Pentamerone," or "The Tale of Tales" is the first national collection of fairy tales in history. It introduced many original plots of today's most popular stories like Cinderella, Rapunzel and others. However, this is not the only reason why the book is so important. Read on to learn more!
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The Goose Girl: A Fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm
The Goose Girl is a fairy tale written by Jacob and William Grimm. It's a story of a stolen identity, the power of a given word and the justice winning over injustice.
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Mythology Of Undine - A Mermaid Novella Or A Fairy Tale?
Undine is a water spirit, kind of mermaid. It's also a popular novella from the 19th century with interesting mythology, upon which several fairy tales were made.
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Elenore Plaisted Abbott: a biography of an artist
Elenore Abbott was an extraordinary artist but today her legacy is undeservedly overshadowed. With this short biographical sketch we'll try to correct at least a bit of this unjustuce.
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Jessie Willcox Smith and children's illustrations
The best illustrator of children's books ever? Jesse Wilcox Smith (1863-1935) is by many considered as the most important creator of illustrations for children's books. Her work on Kingsley's Water Babies is sometimes called Mona Lisa of kid's...
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The Pied Piper of Hamelin: legend, story or poem for kids?
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a well known poem and story, based on the legend of Pied Piper with magic powers. Let's check its summary and explore the roots of the legend through analysis.
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Johnny Gruelle and the story of Raggedy Ann
Although Johnny Gruelle is today known mostly as an author of stories about Raggedy Ann, he was a man of many talents. Are you interested in the background of this popular doll and her designer?
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Leonard Leslie Brooke, illustrator of nursery rhymes and fairy tales
Leslie Brooke was one of the most popular illustrators of his time. His picture books were in high demand and the character of Johnny Crow was a major hit among children and their parents.
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Virginia Frances Sterrett: her illustrations and her personal tragedy
Virginia Frances Sterrett was American illustrator of rare artistic talent. Unfortunately her health never allowed her to develop her own style to its full potential and she made only three books.
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Vintage German Illustrators, part 2
Germany gave many important artists to the world and here you can meet few of the most successful vintage illustrators from this country. Enjoy in public domain pictures!
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Vintage German Illustrators, part 1
When we talk about vintage children illustrations from Germany, Grimms' Fairy Tales are probably our first thought. Less known is fact most of first illustrators started as top class painters.
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Walter Crane: his illustrations, biography and socialism
Walter Crane is among the most important illustrators ever. He believed illustration and text should blend in a unique design, where every single detail counts. Here is his bio with many examples.
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Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales: Real people and places behind the best stories for children
H. C. Andersen is probably the best writer of fairy tales for kids ever. Less known is fact that characters of his stories are often based on real people and events.
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Anne Anderson, the illustrator: her personal tale, books, illustrations and fairy paintings
Anne Anderson was Scottish illustrator with tremendous achievements as artist and illustrator of picture books. Her biography is inseparable from her work, which is interleaved with Allan Wright's.
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Sleeping Beauty: summary, symbols and more
The Sleeping Beauty is to most people known only by Disney adaptation, but this story has actually an impressive history. Let's explore it together!
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The stories of Arabian Nights (1001 Nights)
Arabian Nights (or 1001 Nights, as they are more known in non-English speaking countries) inspire children and adults for many generations. Part of its charm comes from its interesting history.
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"Puss in Boots": A Story With a Questionable Moral
"Puss in Boots" is a famous fairytale, but its moral is pretty questionable. The title character achieves everything through trickery and his masters become rich doing nothing.
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The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids: Short Summary, Symbolism and More
"Wolf and seven kids" can be used an example of a legend based on an explanation of natural occurrence, which may lead to the very first fairy tales.
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Storytelling: A Perfect Family Fun
Storytelling is one of the oldest characteristics by which humans differ from other living beings. We don't tell stories for obvious benefits only, it looks we need them for pure pleasure!
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Oscar Wilde: master of quotes and artist of the scandal
Oscar Wilde earned very special place in literature thanks to his wittiness, and inclination to excessive behavior. He actually induced scandals to become famous much before he wrote his masterpieces.
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The Story of Hansel and Gretel: Summary, Symbolism, and Interpretations
Hansel and Gretchen (or Gretel) is a well-known story with very rich symbolism and several possible interpretations. Let's summarize it and check some of its deeper truths.
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Arthur Rackham: his life and work in illustration
Arthur Rackham is very likely the most influential illustrator of 20th century and his works are today among the most collectible ones. Please enter very special imaginary worlds created by his style.
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Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let your hair down!
Rapunzel is a story about a girl with long hair, who was locked in the tower. Here the original and Disney version split. Rapunzel by brother Grimm was actually much different than Tangled by Disney.
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Little Red Riding Hood: The Summary and Symbols Explained
Red Riding Hood is one of the classic fairy tales ever written and has become known worldwide. However, the powerful symbolism behind the story is not as well known. Let's explore it along with a summary, a comparison of two different versions, and various theories and interpretations!
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The Original Story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"
Goldilocks (often with the Three Bears) seems like a simple story for children, but it has an interesting history and many surprising variations.
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The Frog Prince (The Frog King)
Frog King (or Prince, depending on the translation) is a popular fairy tale and part of modern culture (Think about 'Kiss the Frog!'), which offers many surprisingly deep life lessons.
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How to write a fairy tale
Writing fairy tales is easy if you follow simple step-by-step plan. As internationally published author with numerous rewards I can tell you how to write a fairy tale, but an inspiration is up to you.
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List of Most Popular Fables of All Time and Their Authors
You will find a comprehensive list of fables and their authors below. From Aesop to Rudyard Kipling, prepare to discover many creative writers and their stories!